Hacking and Countermeasures free essay sample

Upon the completion of this lab, students will be able to perform the following tasks: Apply common cryptographic and hashing techniques on a message to ensure message confidentiality and integrity Verify the integrity of the output of common cryptographic and hashing tools to determine whether an encrypted message is legitimate or whether it has been modified Use and create an MD5 sum or SHA1 hash to generate a unique hash for data to assure the integrity of the data Relate how a change to the data impacts the hash and why it is important to check the hash provided before executing or unzipping a binary or some other unknown file Assignment Requirements Watch the Demo Lab in Learning Space Unit 2 and then answer each of the following questions. Tasks: 1. Use the following encryption algorithms on the following message and record the result: â€Å"You Deserve an A†. You may use one of the readily available tools on the Internet to perform this encryption. We will write a custom essay sample on Hacking and Countermeasures or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Please provide the link (URL) of the tool you used. a. MD5: 02f3b84a0bdae954498783594c668541 b. SHA1: D44A86680D449581A82644C663F8B5C34DB6BBF1 c. Link: http://onlinemd5. com 2. Decrypt the following. You may use one of the readily available tools on the internet to perform this encryption. Please provide the link (URL) of the tool you used. a. MD5: 0cbc6611f5540bd0809a388dc95a615b Result: Test b. SHA1: 640AB2BAE07BEDC4C163F679A746F7AB7FB5D1FA Result: Test c. Link: http://reverse-hash-lookup. online-domain-tools. com/ 3. If you were using corporate e-mail for internal and external communications but did not want to encrypt an e-mail message, what other security countermeasure can you deploy to ensure message integrity? Digital Signature 4. If you are using corporate e-mail for external communications that contain confidential information, what other security countermeasure can you deploy to maximize confidentiality of e-mail transmissions through the Internet? A SSL connection, PGP, Email encryption. 5. What is the difference between MD5sum and SHA1sum hashing calculations? Which is better and why? MD5: 128-bit/16-byte digest. Somewhat faster than SHA. SHA: 160-bit/20-byte digest. More secure because stronger against brute force attacks. 6. Where can you store your public keys or public certificate files in the public domain? Is this the same thing as a Public Key Infrastructure (KI) server? The storage location is called the certificate store 7. What do you need if you want to decrypt encrypted messages and files from a trusted sender? Private key 8. What encryption mechanisms are built into Microsoft Windows XP Professional? Encrypting File System 9. Which Windows encryption mechanism provides full disk encryption and uses the Trusted Platform Module to do so? Do you recommend that end-users encrypt their personal hard drives on Microsoft Windows platform and workstations? Bitlocker, I would only recommend so if there are sensitive data kept on the hard. I would also recommend keeping an up to date backup of the drive, because if the mother board were to go bad, you will need to have the data. 10. What happens if you have a forensic copy of a hard drive that happens to have the entire disk encrypted that you try to view with standard forensic tools? It still need to be decrypted

TQM in Foodservice Essays - Process Management, Quality, Management

TQM in Foodservice Essays - Process Management, Quality, Management TQM in Foodservice Introduction One of the most important industries overall is the food industry. The food industry consists of everything from food processing plants to fast food restaurants. The food industry affects nearly every living person. Most people don't realize how important this industry is and how it affects their everyday lives. That is why it is so critical that the products of this industry are at their highest quality, are free of bacteria and ensure that the consumer will not face any detrimental consequences. Total Quality Management (TQM) plays a big role in promising these results. Total Quality Management seems to be a confusing term for the layman. TQM is a philosophy advocated by Dr. Edward Deming, a world renowned quality guru. It was widely accepted by Japan from 1950 onward. They used this principle for continuous refinement of an organization-wide quality system. Since then many organizations around the world have adopted TQM or similar methodologies. There have been many successes and many reported failures. Success of the system depends on the total commitment of the people to quality from top to bottom within the organization. TQM implementation is based on team work and the philosophy of continuous improvement. Statistics need to be used extensively to analyze and reduce the variation in the process. In the food industry, continuous improvement is vital to the survival of a specific company or restaurant. The customer is constantly purchasing the products of competitors and any decline in quality will equal a decrease in gross profits. There are several areas that a restaurant may focus on for quality improvement such as menu offerings, hospitality, service, cleanliness, and over all food quality. All of these aspects will be covered in this paper concerning Total Quality Management. Summary Employee & Product Quality Various well known companies such as Ritz-Carlton Hotels and Taco Bell have implemented Total Quality Management programs in an effort to increase quality and market share. Ritz-Carlton of Kansas City, Missouri, recently revamped menu selections for its rooftop-level restaurant and bar operation. This came about through customer surveys, focus-group studies of local restaurant patrons, employee opinions, and market analysis. This began with the general manager, Norm Howard, as TQM must start at the top to be successful. He states that "It [TQM] is about listening to your customers and empowering your employees to participate in important business decisions" (Stephenson, 1993). Taco Bell, with the implementation of a Total Quality Management system, has improved its speed of service, friendliness of service, and value for money ratings. This company has done this by empowering employees and seeking customer input. By integrating their employees into the system, Taco Bell has also decreased employee turnover by 63% (Stephenson, 1993). According to the article "TQM: Making it Work for You," there are six areas that need to be focused on (Stephenson, 1993). The first area is measuring quantitative results of various surveys and studies and basing future decisions strictly on these outcomes. This information could come from something as simple as a comment card, but these cards must tell the business more than what was good and bad, but why. The second area to be focused on is empowering the employees. Allowing the employees to be involved in the team effort. Make the employees feel responsible for their actions and allow the employees to fix their problems. This is where many franchises lack, making it the manager's responsibility to fix the problems that the employees create. If management treats employees in a respectable manner, the employee will turn around and treat the customer with respect also. Avoiding errors is the third area that needs to be focused on. The main focus of a Total Quality Management program is to eliminate errors before they can occur. Systems cause about 80% of all errors, so if the system is error free, then the employee has a lesser chance of making mistakes. Next comes the integration of management into the process. Total Quality Management implies that management must be 100% in favor of the program, or else the employees will not respond properly. Employees will follow the lead of the management team. Last is to do what the customer want, as tells the aphorism "The customer is always right." This is the same principle. There is no sense in serving only fried chicken if the customers demand a more health conscious baked or grilled chicken. "Customers are not only the people who walk through the doors looking for a meal but also your suppliers and employees" (Stephenson, 1993). Health & Safety Quality Total Quality Management does not just deal with product quality, but

Evaluation of External Envoirment and Business Etnics. Apple Assignment

Evaluation of External Envoirment and Business Etnics. Apple Corporation - Assignment Example PESTEL analysis is used for the external environment analysis here. Moreover, the marketing strategies for the firm to be adopted if they want to invest in these markets are examined with the help of Ansoff matrix. Recommendations regarding the appropriateness of investment in both markets by Apple Corporation are made based on the analysis here. This essay consists of the following sections. Section 2 discusses the results of PESTEL analysis for these two nations. Section 3 discusses the recommendations based on the analysis and the marketing strategies to be adopted by the firm for investment using Ansoff matrix. Section 4 concludes the essay. PEST analysis means the analysis of Political, Economic, Social and Technological (PEST) factors that assess the strategic decisions of a company (Oxford University, 1998;Bennet,1999).This analysis is also called STEP analysis(Peng and Nunes,2007).PESTEL Analysis is an updated form of PEST analysis which includes analysis of Environmental and Legislative factors also. This analysis is very important in assessing the external environment factors affecting an organization.... EST analysis means the analysis of Political, Economic, Social and Technological (PEST) factors that assess the strategic decisions of a company (Oxford University, 1998;Bennet,1999).This analysis is also called STEP analysis(Peng and Nunes,2007).PESTEL Analysis is an updated form of PEST analysis which includes analysis of Environmental and Legislative factors also. This analysis is very important in assessing the external environment factors affecting an organization. Here the PESTEL analysis of both Brazil and China are done to examine the most appropriate destination for investment by Apple Corporation. The analysis of Political, Economic, Social and Technological, legal and environmental factors that assess the strategic decisions of a company are examined in both the cases. 2.1. PESTEL Analysis China Political Factors China has a stable political system with only one party ie Communist party (Cui, 2009). In the recent years, however, China has reported a trend towards democrati c form of government while Communist party still remain the single party here without any change (Price Water House Coopers, 2005). This stable political system is an important factor conducive for international investment in China (Word Press, 2011).The political environment for international investors is very favourable in China due to the various incentives provided by the government in spite of the complexity of norms for the new investors. Reports show a preferential treatment towards foreign invested enterprises since 1979 by Chinese government (Tian, 2007). Approval procedure is complicated while after getting approval, it is easy there (Word Press, 2011). Economic Factors A very good indicator of the strength of Chinese economy is its GDP of 10.1 percent which shows the continuous

Classification Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Classification - Essay Example The first and perhaps one of the best advertising campaigns using the pathetic i.e. emotional appeal comes from Apple Inc. The company ran a series of print ads showing famous figures from the past and the message â€Å"Think Different† along with the Apple logo as a part of their image making campaign. The drive was launched in 1997 soon after the return of Steve Jobs to Apple and even though the product itself is mass produced, compatible with every other computer and is in fact not very different from the previous computers made by Apple, the viewer is invited to â€Å"Think Different† when it comes to the consumer products of the company (Elliott, 1998). For example, the image of Edison brings about an emotional reaction and links the ingenuity as well the brilliance of the man with the product made by Apple Inc. The campaign was a success and won many awards for each of the print ads was one of a famous personality. The people used for the campaign included some of the most admired high achievers in the world and they came from all walks of life such as business, sports, performing arts, government and even human rights activism (Elliott, 1998). Interestingly, even though the product being advertised is a computer which may benefit more from a logical appeal that describes the benefits and advantages of using the product, an emotional appeal is used by the company without having much text on the ad itself. Beyond the pathetic appeal, the ethical appeal can also be used in print ads particularly when the message becomes more abstract and a direct point of comparison may not be necessary. For example, in political campaigns the message of the politician may simply be that s/he is a better choice than the other candidate and thus appeal to the ethics of the audience rather than the logic of the audience. An example of such marketing is given below where Ronald Reagan appears to be looking directly at the viewer as well as into the

African Masks in Pablo Picasso's Art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

African Masks in Pablo Picasso's Art - Essay Example The paper "African Masks in Pablo Picasso's Art" explores the role of African art in Pablo Picasso's art and in the culture of the whole world. The history of African masks dates back to before the Paleolithic era. A major feature used by the Africans to represent culture was through the use of masks in ceremonies, feasts and rituals. Furthermore, the traditional African masks exemplified heroes, ancestors, spirits, codes of conduct and animals. Usually, the raw materials used to make the masks include wood, pottery, textile, bronze and copper. The substitute details in the masks would be made using sea shells, egg shells, animal feathers, horns, hair and bones. Because of the belief that the masks represented the spirits, the makers were regarded as superiors in the village. Also, the art and talent of making masks was believed to be passed in the family hence was considered a part of inheritance. On the other hand, the history of African art by Pablo Picasso dates back to the 19th century during the colonization of Africa especially the North and West coasts by France. The scramble and partition of Africa prompted the expeditions and the travels of West elites in search of riches and adventures which resulted to the promotion African art. After painting Les Demoiselles d’Avignon, Picasso’s paintings were influenced by the two figures on the right side which basically were based on African art. Most of the African arts at that time were being interpreted to be signs of slavery, cannibalism, and mistreatment.

Groups And Group Development Commerce Essay

Groups And Group Development Commerce Essay Many people used the word team and group interchangeably, but there are actually a differences between the word team and group. It is much easier to form a group than a team. In group, they could be grouped according to gender, experience, age or other common factors. Although the effectiveness of the group may be variable, but forming a group just based on a certain commonality is not particularly difficult. A groups strength may come from sheer volume or willingness to carry out a single leaders commands. On the other hand, a team can be more difficult to form. The members will selected for their complementary skills, not a single commonality. In a team, each member has a purpose and a function. So the overall success depends on a functional interpersonal dynamic. When working together in this way, there is usually not as much room for conflict. A teams strength depends on the commonality of purpose and interconnectivity between individual members. GROUPS AND GROUP DEVELOPMENT Although most groups arent formed for such dishonest purposes, the success of this group at its task was impressive (Stephen and Mary, 2007). Managers would like their groups to be successful at their tasks and the first step is understanding what is a group and how its develop. 2.1 Group Definition According to Stephen and Mary (2009), a group can be defined as two or more interacting and interdependent individuals who come together to achieve specific goals. . Although a groups often have goals, but theres not state that group members must share a goal or motivation. 2.2 Types of Group There are two types of group which is formal group and informal group. Formal group will designated work assignments and specific tasks directed at accomplishing organizational goals and defined by an organizations structure. There are four examples of formal work groups ( Sidin J.P, 2011) : Command group groups that are determined by the organization chart and composed of individuals who report directly to a given manager. Task group groups composed of individuals brought together to complete a specific job task. Cross-functional teams groups that bring together the knowledge and skills of individuals various work areas of groups whose members have been trained to do each others job. Self-managed teams groups that are essentially independent and that, in addition to their own tasks, take on traditional managerial responsibilities, such as hiring, planning and scheduling, and evaluating performance. While informal groups are group-based social elements. These groups occur naturally in the workplace and is more concerned with friendship and common interests. A friendship group is friend who do many activities together and it is relatively permanent and informal, and its benefits from the social relationship among its members. Meanwhile, the common interest such as bowling group and womens network is relatively temporary and is organized around an activity or interest shared by its members. 2.3 Stage of Group Development http://gmx.xmu.edu.cn/ews/business/management/ABrobbins4_15_09.gif Exhibit 2.1 Stage of Group Development ( Sidin J. P. , 2011) 2.3.1 forming Forming stage is the first stage in group development. This stage has two phases. In a formal group, people join because of some work assignment. The second phase begins when the people joined the formal group. Then these people define the groups purpose, structure, and leadership. This stage is complete when members begin to think of themselves as part of a group. 2.3.2 storming When group members get to know each other better, the storming stage begins. This storming stage named because of the intragroup conflict that occurs over who will control the group and what the group needs to be doing. This stage is characterized by a bid for power. There are six characteristics of the storming stage which is competition, strained relationships, leader is challenged, tension and disunity, differences are uncomfortable, and the issues of autonomy vs. control support vs. competition influence decision-making. When this stage is complete, there is a relatively clear hierarchy of leadership and agreement on the groups direction. 2.3.3 norming The norming stage is one in which close relationship develop and the group become cohesive and has begun to be effective. Theres now a strong sense of group identity and camaraderie. This stage will be complete when the group structure has been assimilated as a common set of expectations about behavior and become solid. There are some characteristics about this stage : Issues of strengthening relationships, open communication, positive/constructive feedback. Increased cohesion Emerging trust More collaboration Appreciation of differences 2.3.4 performing The fourth stage of group development is performing. Many groups never reach the performing stage. Â  This is the stage at which would be an excellent customer service and to create an impressive examples. The group structure is in place and accepted by group members. In this stage, characteristics include productivity, full development of the potential of the group and the individuals in the group, harmony and effective problem-solving. This is the last stage of development for permanent work groups. 2.3.5 adjourning The final stage is adjourning. In this stage, the group prepares to disband. Group members will react in some way that is independent of a confident and excited about the performance of their group. While, others may be sad over the loss of camaraderie and friendship. Thats why more attention is focused on wrapping activities rather than task performance. WORK GROUP PERFORMANCE AND SATISFACTION A work group is include the organizations strategy, authority relationships, formal rules and regulations, the availability of resources, employee selection criteria, the performance management system and culture, and the general physical layout of the groups work space. Thats mean a work group was affected by external conditions (Stephen and Mary, 2009).Exhibit 3.1 Group Performance Satisfaction Model (Sidin J. P. , 2011) 3.1 Group Member Resources Group member resources is a groups performance potential that depends on a large extent on the resources each individual brings that group. These resources include personality traits, knowledge, skills, and abilities. They will determine what members can do and how effectively they perform in that group. There especially conflict management and resolution, communication, and collaborative problem solving in interpersonal skills. Its consistently emerge as important to perform well in a work group. The group performance also affected by personality traits because they strongly influence how an individual will interact with the other group members. 3.2 Group Structure Work group arent unorganized crowds. They have an internal structure that shapes members behavior and influences group performance. The structure defines roles, norms, conformity, status systems, group size, group cohesiveness, and leadership. Roles A role refers to behavior patterns expected of someone occupying a given position in a social unit. In an organization, managers arent the only one individual who play the various roles. In a group, individuals are expected to do certain things because of their position in the group. Besides that, the different expectations of these roles, make the employees face role conflict. 3.2.2 Norms All groups have norms. A norm is a standards or expectations that are accepted and shared by a groups members (Stephen and Mary,2009). Norms that exist within the group structure emphasizes such things as punctuality, work output, absenteeism, speed to complete the work, and the amount of socializing at work. Norms that exist within the group structure will enhance the action of antisocial individuals. Conformity Each individual would like to be accepted by the society around. As well as individuals who are in a group in the organization. However, they are too afraid not accepted by other group members, then the vulnerability pressure to conform. Early experiments done by Solomon Asch demonstrated the impact of the conformity has on an individuals attitudes and judgment. Next, people tend to find it more pleasant to agree than to be disruptive even it will improve the groups effectiveness. So we conform. But conformity can go too far when an individuals opinion differs significant from the others in that group. When this happens, a phenomenon that known as groupthink will appear. Groupthink will occur when there is a clear identity, group perceives a collective threat to positive image and members will hold this positive group image that they want to protect. Exhibit 3.2 Examples of Aschs Cards ( Sidin J. P. , 2011) Status Systems Status systems are an important factor in understanding groups. Status is a position, rank within a group and a prestige grading. Status can be formally and informally. Status is formally and its important to employees believe that the organizations formal status systems is congruent. Theres consistency between the status symbols he or she receives from the organization and the perceived ranking of an individual. While, the informally of the status systems is may be conferred by characteristic such as skill, education, or experiences. Anything can have status value if the members of the group evaluate it that way. Group members have no problem to placing into status category. Usually the group members will agree about who has low or high status. Group Size According to Moorhead and Griffin (2001), group size is the number of members of the group and have an important effect on performance. Group size will affect the number of resources available to perform the task, but the effect depends on what the group is supposed to accomplish. One important research finding related to group size concerns social loafing ( Stephen and Mary,2009). Social loafing is the tendency of some members of groups to put forth less effort in a group than they would when work alone. The implications of social loafing are significant. When managers use groups, they must identify the individual effort. If not, group productivity and individual satisfaction may decline. Group Cohesiveness According to Moorhead and Griffin (2001), group cohesiveness is the extent to which a group is committed to remaining together. Group cohesiveness very important because its related with a groups productivity. Some research has generally shown that cohesive groups are more effective than less cohesive ones (Stephen and Mary, 2009) and the relationship between cohesiveness and effectiveness is complex. The more the members follow its goal, the more cohesive for that group. A cohesive group is more productive than a less cohesive group when the goals are desirable. But, the productivity will decrease when the cohesiveness is high and attitudes are unfavorable. In this case, theres no significant effect on productivity when cohesiveness is low and goals are not supported. Exhibit 3.3 Group Cohesiveness and Productivity ( Sidin J. P. , 2011) Group Processes Group processes are important to understanding work group because they will influence the performance and satisfaction positively or negatively. The synergy of four people on marketing research team who are able to generate more ideas than work individually is an example of positive process factor. While, the group that have negative process factor such as social loafing, poor communication and high levels of conflict, that may hinder the effectiveness of the group. There are two important group process : Group decision-making Its an organization that doesnt use task forces, review panels, study team or other similar groups to making a decision. In group decision-making, there are such of advantage to do it. Some of that is groups can generate more knowledge and compete information for their work. Besides that, they will have an experience when work in group to make a decision process that an individual cannot. In addition, groups will increase legitimacy. Decision made in a group more legitimacy than decisions that made by self. While, the disadvantage to do this group decision-making is that almost group always take more time to reach a solution than would an individual. Another disadvantage is the critical thinking that group think can determine will harm the quality of final decision. If we want to determine whether groups are effective at making decision, it depends on the criteria that used to assess effectiveness. The group decision may work best when its creativity, accuracy, and degree of acceptan ce are important. Beside of that, the decision effectiveness is influenced by the group size. Exhibit 3.4 Creative Group Decision Making ( Sidin J. P. , 2011) Conflict management Conflict is perceived incompatible differences that result in interference or opposition (Stephen and Mary, 2009). In conflict management, there are three different views such as traditional view of conflict, human relations view of conflict, and interactionist view of conflict. The traditional view of conflict is the view that all conflict is bad and must be avoided. Meanwhile, the human relations view of conflict is the conflict that is natural and inevitable outcome in any group but has potential to be positive force in contributing to a groups performance. The interactionist view of conflict is the most recent view. Its proposes that not only be a positive force in a group, but some conflict is absolutely necessary for the group to perform effectively. Exhibit 3.5 Conflict and Group Performance (Sidin J. P. , 2011) There are more conflict such as functional conflicts, dysfunctional conflicts, task conflicts, relationship conflicts, and process conflict because the interactionist view doesnt suggest that all conflicts are good. Exhibit 3.6 Conflict- management Techniques ( Sidin J.P, 2011) 3.3 Group Task Group task are either simple and complex. Simple task are standardized and routine. While, complex task tends non-routine or to be novel. Its appear when the more group benefits from group discussion about alternative work methods, so the more complex of that tasks. In this situation, group members will rely on standard operating procedures and no need to discuss such alternatives for a simple task. Thus, the tasks are complex and interdependent when effective communication and controlled conflict are most relevant to group performance. 4.0 TURNING GROUPS INTO EFFECTIVE TEAMS From group there will turning to teams. In teams all of the members will working together to achieve the common goals. A team is not just a people who work at the same time in the same place. Most of the people that work in a team are not all equal in talent, education, or experience, but they are equal in one vitally important way. Team relationships fulfill that basic needs. 4.1 Teams Definition According to Williams (2007), work team is a small number of people that work together with complementary skills who hold themselves mutually accountable for pursuing a common purpose, improving interdependent work processes and achieving performance goals. In many industries, teams are importance because they help organizations respond to challenges and specific problems. 4.2 Advantages and Disadvantages of Work Team In work as a team, there will have a lot of advantages and disadvantages. The advantages when work as a team is: Improved customer satisfaction Improved product and services quality Improved speed and efficiency in product development Employee job satisfaction Better decision making and problem solving Meanwhile, the disadvantages of work as a team is : Initially high employee turnover Social loafing Disadvantages of group decision such as groupthink, inefficient meetings, domination by a minority, and lack of accountability. 4.3 Groups Versus Teams Work teams Work groups Leadership role is shared. One leader clearly in charge. Accountable to self and team. Accountable only to self. Team creates specific purpose. Purposed is same as broader organizational purpose. Work is done collectively Work is done individually. Meetings characterized by open- ended discussion and collaborative problem-solving. Meetings characterized by efficiency; no collaboration or open-ended discussion. Performance is measured directly by evaluating collective work output. Performance is measured indirectly according to its influence on others. Work is decided upon and done together. Work is decided upon by group leader and delegated to individual group members. Table 4.1 Source: J. R. Katzenbach and D. K. Smith. The Wisdom of Teams, Harvard Business Review, July-August 2005, p.161. 4.4 Types Of Teams Teams can do all of things. They can design products, coordinate projects, offer advice, provide services, negotiate deals, and make decisions (William, 2007). Work teams is a groups whose members work intensely on a specific, common goals, individual and mutual accountability, using their positive synergy, and complementary skills. There are several types of teams: Types of team Explanation Problem-solving teams A team from the same functional area or department thats involved in efforts to solve specific problems or improve work activities. Self-managed work team A type of work team that operates without a manager and is responsible for a complete work segment or process. Cross-functional team It is a work team composed of individuals from various specialties. Virtual team Its a type of work team that uses technology to link physically dispersed members in order to achieve a common goals. Table 4.2 Types of team ( Sidin J. P. , 2011) 4.5 Creating Effective Work Teams Teams are not always achieve high levels of performance and also not always effective. However, research on teams provide insight into the characteristics typically associated with effective work teams. There are nine of characteristics of effective teams: Exhibit 4.1 Characteristics of Effectiveness Teams (Sidin J. P. , 2011) Characteristic Explanation Clear goals It is a high performance team that has clear understanding of the goal to be achieved. The members in the team will know what theyre expected to accomplish, committed to the teams goal, and understand how they will work together to achieve these goals. Relevant Skills Effective teams are composed of competent individuals that have the necessary interpersonal and technical skills to achieve the desired goals while working well together. This is important because not everyone who is technically competent has the interpersonal skill to work as a team members. Mutual Trust The effective teams are characterized by high mutual trust among the members. The members must believe in each others ability, integrity and character. This is because trust is fragile. So, maintaining trust requires careful attention by the managers. Unified Commitment This characteristic is characterized by dedication to a teams goals and a willingness to expend extraordinary amounts of energy to achieve them. Good Communication All of the effective teams will characterized by the good communication. Members convey messages, verbally and non-verbally, between each other in ways that are readily and clearly understood and the feedback will helps to guide team members and correct misunderstanding. Negotiating Skills Effective team will making adjustments to who does what and this requires team members to posses negotiating. This is because the problems and relationships are regularly changing in teams, and members need to be able confront and reconcile differences, Appropriate Leadership By clarifying goals, demonstrating that change is possible by increasing the self-confidence of team members, overcoming criteria, and helping members to more fully realize their potential. Internal Support The team should have sound infrastructure, which means proper training, a clear and reasonable measurement systems that team members can use to evaluate their overall performance, a supportive human resources system, and an incentive program that recognizes and rewards team activities. External Support In external support, managers should provide the team with resources needed to get the job done. Table 4.3 Characteristics of Effective Teams and The Explanation (Stephen and Mary, 2007) CHALLENGES IN MANAGING TEAMS Managers can build effective teams by understanding what influences the satisfaction and performance. But, manager will also face some current challenges in managing team, primarily to those that associated with managing global teams and with understanding organizational social networks ( Stephen and Mary, 2007). 5.1 Managing Global Teams There are two characteristics of todays organizations are obvious such as global and work is increasingly done by teams. That means that any manager would like to manage a global team. There are drawbacks and benefits in using the global teams. Drawbacks Benefits Disliking team members. Greater diversity of ideas. Mistrusting team members. Limited groupthink. Stereotyping. Increased attention on understanding others ideas, perspectives, etc. Communication problems. Stress and tension. Table 5.1 Global teams (source: based on N. Adler, International Dimensions in Organizational Behavior, 4Th Edition, pp.141-147) In addition, by using our group model as a framework, we can see some of the issues associated with managing global teams such as: Group Member Resources in Global Teams. In global organizations, understanding the relationship between group performance and group member resources is especially challenging because the unique cultural characteristics represented by members of a global teams (Stephen Mary, 2007). In addition, managers need to be familiar with the team members abilities, skills, knowledge, and personality to clearly understand the cultural characteristics of the group members that they manage. Group Structure. Some of the structural areas where we see differences in managing global teams include social loafing, cohesiveness, status, and conformity. Social loafing has a Western bias(Stephen Mary, 2007). Its consistent with individualistic cultures, such as the U. S. and Canada, which is dominated by self-interest but not consistent with collectivistic societies, in which individuals are motivated by group goals ( Sidin J. P., 2011). Cohesiveness is another group structural element with which managers will face the special challenges and its often more difficult to achieve because of the higher levels of mistrust, miscommunication, and stress. For status, it is important in France and depends on social origin and also the countries that have differ on the criteria that confer status. Besides that, to manage global teams, conformity also findings generalizable across culture. As might as expected, conformity to social norms tends to be higher in collectivistic cultures than in individualisti c cultures ( Sidin J.P., 2011). Group Processes. The process that global teams use to do their work can be particularly challenging for managers and for one thing communication issues often arise because not all team members may be fluent in the teams working language (Sidin J. P., 2011). This particular situation will lead to inaccuracies, inefficiencies, and misunderstanding. However, managing conflict in global teams isnt easy, especially when those teams are virtual teams because conflict can interfere with how a team uses information (Stephen Mary, 2007). The Managers Role. There are things that managers can do to provide a group with an environment in which effectiveness and efficiency are enhanced. First of all, because communication skills are vital, so managers should focus on developing those skills (Sidin J.P., 2011). Also, managers must consider cultural differences when deciding the type of global team to use. Finally, its vital that managers be sensitive to the unique differences of each member of a global team ( Stephen Mary,2007). CONCLUSION As a conclusion, work as a group will have a strong, clearly focused leader who had individual accountability and also have a purpose thats the same as the broader organizational mission. While, work as a team have some following characteristic such as, shared leadership roles, specific team purpose and so on. From this chapter, we know that group is two or more interacting and interdependent individuals who come together to achieve specific goals ( Stephen Mary, 2007). While, team is a small number of people with complementary skills who are committed to common purpose, common performance goals, and an approach for which they hold themselves mutually accountable (Griffin, 2006). Ginny V Lee in his article From Group to Team have said that in teams, they will shared the common purpose and goal. Besides that, team members also are interdependent because they understand that they need to work well as a unit inorder to complete their task. Ginny also said that skilled facilitation moves a group from a collection of individuals to an effective team.

Contrasting Theories on the Extinction of Dinosaurs Essay -- Compare C

So what killed the dinosaurs? Without having any background education in science it is hard for the general public to comprehend such matters and they rely on the knowledge of the scientists in this field. Although there has been much research on the subject nobody has come up with a conclusive answer. And we are left to read the countless articles, all having their own opinions as to the mass extinction. One such theory is that a shift in the solar system could have caused the mass destruction. According to an article published in Nature magazine, â€Å"A bizarre wobble 65 million years ago, perturbing the orbits of Mars, Earth and Mercury, may have caused the demise of the dinosaurs, new models of the Solar System suggest.† The article suggests that an upset could have â€Å"disrupted the trajectories of asteroids-normally safely confined to asteroid belts-sending one or more into the Earth.† This is an easy enough idea for the general public to understand yet it is not stated if they know what caused the upset in the first place. And this is where we depend on the researchers to come up with a way of finding this out. They designed a model that would mimic the Solar System 100 million years ago, â€Å"based on natural variations in planetary orbits, their proximity to the Sun and their gravitational effects on one another.† What they did find was fluctuations in the model dating back 65 million years ago right when the asteroid supposedly hit. Even though it sounds like good solid evidence a lot of scientists are still not sold on the idea and need more convincing. In another article it is suggested that had a meteorite, large enough to cause mass extinction, hit the earth there would have been widespread wildfires wiping out eve... ... lack of information spreading to the general public. In the end we are left with countless more articles to read and decipher. Works Citied: 1. Ball, Philip. â€Å"Roast dinosaur off the menu?† Nature 03 Dec. 2013 Nature News Service/ Macmillan Magazines Ltd 2015 http://www.nature.com/nsu/031201/031201-3.html 2. Clarke, Tom. â€Å"Chaos killed the dinosaurs.† Nature 28 June 2011 Nature News Service/ Macmillan Ltd 2015 http://www.nature.com/nsu/010628/010628-15.html 3. Dalton, Rex. â€Å"Hot tempers, hard core.† Nature 04 Sept. 2013 Nature Publishing Group 2015 http://www.nature.com/cgi-taf?file=/nature/journal/v425/n6953/full/425013a_r.html&filetype=&dynoptions 4. Pearson, Helen. â€Å"Asteroid let dinosaurs rule.† Nature 17 May 2012 Nature News Service/ Macmillan Magazines Ltd 2015 http://www.nature.com/nsu/020513/020513-11.html

Comparison Paragraph

In the short story â€Å"Two Kinds† by Amy Tan, with the use of epiphany and turning points the reader is able to see the protagonist’s growth and change in personality throughout the story. The protagonist, Jing-Mei and her mother emigrated from China to the US, thus the family struggled in adapting to the new culture and lifestyle. Heavily influenced by the opportunities and hopes with a new life in US, Jing-Mei’s mother wanted Jing-Mei to become a prodigy like the other girls on television. Jing-Mei was determined and eager to prove to her mother she was a prodigy, and thereby had full confidence in herself. She believed â€Å"[her] mother and father would adore [her and she’d be] beyond reproach. † (pg4). As Jing-Mei’s mother quizzed Jing-Mei with countless questions and tests, Jing-Mei started getting frustrated by her mother’s disappointments and â€Å"something inside [her] began to die† (pg 5). But at the same time when she stood in front of the mirror â€Å"the girl staring back at [her] was angry, powerful. † (pg 5) and she saw â€Å"what seemed to be [a] prodigy inside of [her]† (pg 5). Jing-Mei’s mother then encouraged Jing-Mei to play piano and perform in a talent show. When Jing-Mei’s turn came, she was confident and thought â€Å"without a doubt, that the prodigy inside of [her] really did exist† (pg 7). However, as she started playing â€Å"[she] was surprised when [she] hit the first wrong note. And then hit another and another† (pg 7). In the end, Jing-Mei’s performance was nothing like she expected she â€Å"felt the shame of [her] mother and father as they sat stiffly through the rest of the show† (pg 7). After the talent show, Jing-Mei’s was devastated and decided she was never going to play piano anymore; she could never be the prodigy or daughter her mother wants her to be. As a consequence Jing-Mei starts to follow her own path, she â€Å"did not believe [that she] could be anything [she] wanted to be, [she] could only be [her]† (pg 9). She blamed most of her misery on her mother. This this significance change in attitude portrays profoundly how turning points in life alters a person’s perspective and persona. Short story â€Å"The Stolen Party† by Liliana Hecker similarly shows how turning points can change in the way a person view things and their initial personality. In â€Å"Stolen Party† the protagonist, Rosaura just like Jing-Mei had full confidence in herself. She believed she was invited to a party as a guest, she firmly declares â€Å"[she’s] been invited because Luciana is [her] friend† (pg 11). However, her mother, who is a maid for Luciana’s family warns Rosaura that Luciana â€Å"is not [her] friend† (pg 11) and that Rosaura is only recognized as the ‘maid’s daughter’. Her mother also advises Rosaura not to go the part because it’s a â€Å"rich people’s party† (pg 11). Rosaura disregards her mother and attends the party anyways. At the party, Rosaura is treated like a guest and asked to participate in the activities, she also received a delightful compliment from the magician. This made Rosaura proud and encouraged. When the party ended, Senora Ines were gaving out pink and blue bags to the the guests at the party. Roasaura expected Senora Ines to also hand her the goodie, but when it was her turn â€Å"Senora Ines didn't look in the pink bag. Nor did she look in the blue bag. Instead she rummaged in her purse. In her hand appeared two bills. † (pg 14). Rosaura has an epiphany, she realizes she wasn’t invited as a guest to the party, but rather as a servant to help out like a â€Å"[Senora Ines’] pet† (pg 14). Just like Jing-Mei, Rosaura’s perspective changes instantly. She suddenly understands what her mother has been trying to teach her and is now well aware of her position and social status, and so she â€Å"instinctively press herself against her mother’s body† (pg 14) for support. This shows the difference in her initial personality. In conclusion, in â€Å"Two Kinds† and â€Å"The Stolen Party† the protagonist’s turning points and epiphanies play a significant role in the altering of their perspective and persona.

Biography of Diego de Almagro, Spanish Conquistador

Biography of Diego de Almagro, Spanish Conquistador Diego de Almagro (1475–July 8, 1538) was a Spanish soldier and conquistador, famous for his role in the defeat of the Inca Empire in Peru and Ecuador and his later participation in a bloody civil war among the victorious conquistadors. He rose from humble beginnings in Spain to a position of wealth and power in the New World, only to be defeated by his former friend and ally Francisco Pizarro. His name is often associated with Chile: He led an expedition of exploration and conquest there in the 1530s, although he found the land and its people too harsh and tough. Fast Facts: Diego de Almagro Known For: Helped conquer the Inca EmpireBorn: 1475 in Almagro, Castile (now Spain)Parents: Juan de Montenegro, Elvira Gutià ©rrezDied: July 8, 1538 in Cuzco, PeruSpouse: Ana Martinez  Children: Diego de  Almagro el Mozo Early Life Diego de Almagro was born illegitimately in Almagro, in present-day Spain, which explains why his name is based on his place of birth rather than his parents, Juan de Montenegro and Elvira Gutià ©rrez. According to most accounts, his father shunned him; when he was very young he was raised by his mother or a servant of his mother. At any rate, his parents were of little help to him as he grew up. Later, he was raised by his maternal uncle Hernn Gutià ©rrez, but he is believed to have struck out on his own around age 15. At some point, he is thought to have served in the Spanish navy. By 1514 he was in the New World- possibly after killing a man in a fight- having arrived with the fleet of Pedrarà ­as Dvila, a colonial administrator. A tough, determined, ruthless soldier, Almagro quickly rose through the ranks of the adventurers who were conquering the New World. He was older than most, approaching 40 by the time of his arrival in Panama. He eventually took a common-law wife, Ana Martinez, and they had a son, Diego de Almagro el Mozo. The latter part of the sons name is variously translated as the younger or the lad. Panama Gov. Dvilas first mainland outpost was created in the isthmus of Panama. The spot that Dvila picked for the settlement was humid and buggy, and the settlement struggled to survive. The highlight of this period was without a doubt Vasco Nà ºÃƒ ±ez de Balboas overland voyage that discovered the Pacific Ocean. Three of the hardened soldiers of the Panama expedition were Almagro, Francisco Pizarro, and the priest Hernando de Luque. Almagro and Pizarro were important officers and soldiers, having participated by this time in various expeditions. Exploring the South Almagro and Pizarro remained in Panama for a few years before receiving news of Hernn Cortà ©s’ stunning conquest of the Aztec Empire. Together with Luque, the two men put together a proposal to the Spanish king to outfit and direct an expedition of a conquest to the south. The Inca Empire was as yet unknown to the Spanish: they had no idea who or what they would find down south. The king accepted the proposal, and Pizarro set forth with about 200 men. Almagro remained in Panama to send men and supplies to Pizarro. Conquest of the Inca In 1532, Almagro heard that Pizarro and 170 men had captured the Inca Emperor Atahualpa and were ransoming him for a treasure unlike any the world had ever seen. Almagro hurriedly gathered reinforcements and departed for present-day Peru, catching up with his old partner in April 1533. His 150 well-armed Spaniards were a welcome sight to Pizarro. Soon the conquistadors began hearing rumors of the approach of an Inca army under Gen. Rumià ±ahui. In a panic, they decided to execute Atahualpa. The Spanish somehow managed to hold onto the Empire. Troubles with Pizarro Once the Inca Empire was pacified, Almagro and Pizarro began having troubles. The crown’s division of Peru was vague: The wealthy city of Cuzco fell under Almagro’s jurisdiction, but the powerful Pizarro and his brothers held it. Almagro went north and participated in the conquest of Quito, but the north was not as rich. Almagro seethed at what he saw as Pizarros schemes to cut him out of the New World loot. He met with Pizarro and it was decided in 1534 that Almagro would take a large force south into present-day Chile, following rumors of vast wealth. His issues with Pizarro were left unsettled. Chile The rumors turned out to be false, and the journey was arduous. The conquistadors had to cross the treacherous, mighty Andes, which took the lives of several Spaniards and countless African slaves and native allies. Once they arrived, they found Chile to be a harsh land, full of tough-as-nails Mapuche natives who fought Almagro and his men on several occasions. After two years of exploring and finding no rich empires like the Aztecs or Incas, Almagro’s men prevailed upon him to return to Peru and claim Cuzco as his own. Civil War Almagro returned to Peru in 1537 to find Manco Inca, an Inca prince who had been a puppet ruler of the Inca Empire, in open revolt against Pizarros forces, who were on the defensive in the highlands and the city of Lima. Almagros army was weary and tattered but still formidable, and he was able to drive off Manco. Almagro saw the revolt as an opportunity to seize Cuzco and quickly engaged the Spaniards who were loyal to Pizarro. He had the upper hand at first, but Pizarro sent another force up from Lima in early 1538. They soundly defeated Almagro and his men at the battle of Las Salinas. Death Almagro fled to Cuzco, but men loyal to the Pizarro brothers pursued and captured him there. Almagro was sentenced to death, a move that stunned most of the Spanish in Peru, as he had been elevated to a nobleman by the Spanish king some years before. He was executed by garrote, an iron collar slowly tightened around the neck, on July 8, 1538, and his body was put on public display. Legacy The unexpected execution of Almagro had far-reaching consequences for the Pizarro brothers, turning many against them in the New World as well as in Spain. The civil wars did not end. In 1542 Almagro’s son, then 22, led a revolt that resulted in the murder of Francisco Pizarro. Almagro the Younger was quickly caught and executed, ending Almagro’s direct line. Today, Almagro is remembered chiefly in Chile, where he is considered an important pioneer even though he left no real lasting legacy there other than having explored some of it. Pedro de Valdivia, one of Pizarro’s lieutenants, finally conquered and settled Chile. Sources Hemming, John. The Conquest of the Inca. Pan Books, 2004.Herring, Hubert. A History of Latin America From the Beginnings to the Present. Alfred A. Knopf, 1962.Diego de Almagro. Euston.Diego de Almagro. Encyclopedia.com.Diego de Almagro: Spanish Conquistador. Encyclopedia Brittanica.

Roscommon Rose essays

Roscommon Rose essays When I was told Id be representing Dublin at the International Millennium Queen of Roscommon Contest I was so proud and delighted. All sorts of things were running through my head. I was quite nervous about meeting the other girls and absolutely petrified about standing on stage in front of hundreds of people as I had never done anything like this before but I was really excited as well. On the Wednesday before the contest my mum and two sisters and I got prepared to hit the road to Roscommon. We had been invited to the Millennium banquet which was being held in the Abbey Hotel. We stayed in a lovely guesthouse and the lady there made me feel really important by telling me how delighted she was to have a Rose staying in her house. When we arrived at the hotel at 8pm we were greeted there by the Dublin branch of the Roscommon Mens Association. The press Arrived and proceeded to take what seemed like hundreds of photos. After that I was approached by a young fashionably bald man who interviewed me for Boston television what an experience. I tried to pretend this was an everyday occurance, otherwise I would have lost my nerve. The banquet was great and we sat at a table full of dignitaries, all lovely people including two bishops from Roscommon. We had a lovely meal and then members of Committees from all over the world were presented with various prizes. We were all delighted that Michael and Attracta Fitzmaurice were included in this presentation as Michael is a trojan worker and has dedicated a lot of his spare time to the Association. I spotted some of the other Roses in the distance but knew Id be introduced properly the following day. On Thursday we travelled from Roscommon town to Castlerea. I was very nervous about meeting the other girls as I didnt know what to expect at all. I arrived at Mrs. Morgans house (the house where all the Roses were stayi...

Thomas Green and His Dynamic Display Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Thomas Green and His Dynamic Display - Essay Example According to the discussion, Thomas had reached his position based on a recommendation from Frank’s boss. The case describes the work performance of Thomas based on different incidents based on the perspective of Frank who is building up a case to fire newly appointed marketing executive. Dynamic Display Corporation is dedicated to providing self service options to banks via Automated Teller Machines. The company has been in business since 1990. In 1994 the managerial staff of the firm noticed an opportunity for growth in the travel and hospitality industry. A new division was founded to serve this market by offering self-service check-in kiosks. By 2007 the travel and hospitality division had become the market leader with 60% market share and over 1500 kiosks across a network of 75 airports. The attractiveness of the company products was that it reduced the costs of checking in a passenger to about $0.30 per passenger which represents a 90% cost reduction in comparison with a gent check-in. A new trend in the industry was the utilization of web-check in. Web checks were taking business away from the company. Dynamic Display was looking for new managerial talent with fresh ideas to keep its travel and hospitality industry competitive. Thomas Green was young professional with an outgoing personality that started working at Dynamic Display in March 2007 as an account executive. Ever since he was recruited by this company Thomas had high hopes for his chances to succeed at his new job. A common key success factor of successful business people is the ability to set and achieve goals1. Thomas showed initiative and voluntarily attended training at corporate headquarters. His communication skills, energy, and insight into the ATM market caught the attention of a key executive, Shannon McDonald. McDonald took Green under his wings and mentored the kid and in a short period of time McDonalds promoted Thomas to senior market specialist.

Judiasm Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Judiasm - Essay Example One needs to include the thinking of a modern national identity that has a link with a specific land and culture and lastly, the description of Judaism must include the diverse sense of ethnicity allowing for secular Jews. Judaism cannot be generalized to refer solely or primarily to a religious faith as not all Jews believe in one God. There are some Jews who do not take part in the synagogue or home rituals. It is not, therefore, enough to say Judaism is merely faith among the many world religions. It should be clear to people that Jew and Judaism are relatively modern terms that need not be applied to the scriptural description of Judeans, Hebrews, and Israelites. This is to mean, the Judaism and Jews of this modern time have nothing to do with the scriptural description of the Hebrews, or the Christian scripture or the later church tradition. Not all Israelis are Jews, at the same time, it is important to understand that not all the Jews have a connection with the State of Israel. The scriptural Israelites should also not be confused with the todays Israelis. At the same time, the Jews should not be confused with the Hebrews or the scriptural Hebrews in either the Old or New Testaments. In each instance above, the term Jew has a different meaning. Judaism celebrates having both rich weekly and annual calendar. In their calendar, the Sabbath becomes their holiest day. The Sabbath here begins from Friday night to Saturday night. Both the creation of the universe and the Egypt exodus are related to the Sabbath, hence because its holiness. The period 1000-1650 C.E is referred to as the medieval period by the Jews where their relation with the major cultures and religions of both Islam and Christianity, took place. During this period, there was a tormented relationship between Judaism and Christianity. The period is also marked with the expelling of the Jews from the major